The Worshipful Company of Mercers is one of the Livery Companies of the City of Lonon. It was incorporated under a Royal Charter in 1394. Its aim was to act as a trade association for general merchants, and especially for exporters of wool and importers of velvet, silk and other luxurious fabrics (the word mercero still used in Spanish has a meaning similar to haberdasher). However, by the sixteenth century, many members of the Company did not retain connections with the original trade. Today, the Company exists as a charitable institution, supporting a variety of causes. In education, the Company has administered St Paul's School since 1509,and St Paul's Girls' School since 1904, and retains close links with Collyer's College, Dauntsey's School, Abingdon School, Peter Symonds College and Gresham College, all founded by Mercers. In recent times the Company has founded a City Technology College (Thomas Telford School) and two City Academies (Walsall Academy and Sandwell Academy).